Friday, January 21, 2011

Brown Bag Luncheon

Normally, I discuss the quarterly brown bag luncheon I host for library patrons, in which I discuss fifteen books while they have lunch. Then, the following week, I repeat the program at a brown bag luncheon for library staff from the entire system. This is fun because we have staff from our Tech Services Dept., Youth Services, and all the branches. It's a great opportunity to share books. The other months of the year, we all bring a book or two to a monthly lunch. Everyone in the system is invited, and attendance varies, depending on schedules. My next public brown bag luncheon is in February, but the staff one was this week. I thought I'd give you the list of books I shared with the library staff.

Casey, Kathryn – The Killing Storm. As a hurricane bears down on Houston, Texas Ranger Sarah Armstrong frantically searches for a missing child.

Davidson, Hilary – The Damage Done. Learning of her sister’s death, travel writer Lily Moore returns home to NYC, only to discover the body found in the bathtub was not her sister’s. While the police want to identify the body, Lily wants to find her missing sister.

DeSilva, Bruce – Rogue Island. An investigative journalist in Rhode Island is helpless when his childhood neighborhood is burning down, building by building. (Just nominated for an Edgar Award for best first mystery.)

Evans, Mary Anna – Strangers. Faye Longchamp’s new archaeological consulting firm gets the job of renovating a B & B in St. Augustine, a house haunted by the past.

Gaus, P.L. – Blood of the Prodigal. When a young Amish boy goes missing, his grandfather, the Bishop, turns to a pastor and a professor, instead of the local sheriff.

Genova, Lisa – Still Alice. Alice Howland, a brilliant Harvard professor, learns she has early-onset Alzheimer’s at the age of 50. (I also discussed Genova's new book, Left Neglected, particularly following the shooting of Rep. Giffords.)

Goldberg, Whoopi – Is It Just Me? Or Is It Nuts Out there? Goldberg reflects on a lack of courtesy, respect and responsibility nowadays.

Lackey, Mercedes – Trio of Sorcery. Three heroines in urban fantasy, three views of the modern world, and magics, ancient and cutting-edge.

Mayes, Casey – A Deadly Row. Math Whiz and puzzle creator is on hand to help her husband, a retired police chief, when Charlotte, NC calls on him for help when the mayor becomes the target of a killer.

Pohlman, Susan – Halfway to Each Other. How a year in Italy brought Pohlman’s family back together. (Pohlman will be a guest author for Authors @ The Teague on Saturday, Jan. 22.)

Ritter, Todd – Death Notice. It isn’t often an obituary writer receives a death notice before the victim dies, but it’s happening in a small Pennsylvania town.

Scottoline, Lisa – My Nest Isn’t Empty, It Just Has More Closet Space. Humorous, and thoughtful newspaper columns about daily life from the mystery writer and her daughter.

Senate, Melissa – The Love Goddess’ Cooking School. Holly is searching for happiness when she inherits her grandmother’s Maine island house, continues her Italian cooking school, and finds unexpected friendships with the four students who take her class.

Trigiani, Adriana – Don’t Sing at the Table: Life Lessons from My Grandmothers. Stories and lessons from Trigiani’s Italian grandmothers.

Viorst, Judith – Unexpectedly Eighty and Other Adaptations. Light verse from the author, who has turned eighty.

And, I was halfway through Eleanor Brown's debut novel, The Weird Sisters, so I gave an audience of book lovers a preview of that wonderful book.

And, as a final note, I had dental surgery following this program, and told the dentist and his assistant that I had just finished a program in which I talked for an hour. They couldn't believe it, saying they'd never heard me say much, and I said, oh, I can talk about books for an hour.

6 comments:

Ha! Well, no one is probably chatty at the dentist, unless they chatter when they're nervous. :) Maybe in the future that would be a great way for them to get you to relax before your dental work! Great books here.

Well, lately, my blood pressure is up when I get there. The assistant told me to think about someplace peaceful, like work! Huh! When she said my blood pressure was good, I told her I was thinking about sitting at home, in my chair, with a book and one of my cats. Certainly not work! That's hardly peaceful. No one really understands working in a library.

My library cut hours by 1/3 for the system last year. It's so sad to watch libraries close throughout the country. We continue to build jails and prisons, and close libraries. Something is wrong with this picture.

About Me

I have been a library manager/administrator for over 30 years, in Ohio, Florida, Arizona, and, now, Indiana. Winner of the 2011 Arizona Library Association Outstanding Library Service Award. I am a contributing Book Reviewer for Library Journal, Mystery Readers Journal, and ReadertoReader.com. Author of the "Mystery Fiction" chapter in Genreflecting: A Guide to Popular Reading Interests (7th ed.) Winner of the 2009 and 2010 Spinetingler Awards for Best Reviewer.

Follow Me on Bloglovin'

Follow by Email

Currently Reading:

Glow of Death

Review Policy

It's an honor to be asked to review books, and I'm grateful to all the publishers, publicists, and authors who send me books. Thank you. Reviews will appear on my blog if I've had a chance to read, and finish, the book. If I do not finish a book, I won't review it, and I will not respond to emails asking when, or if, I'll be reviewing a book.

My reviews are only my opinion, and do not reflect the views of the Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library.

At the present time, I do not accept books in e-book format.

Disclosure of review copies

My Oct. 19, 2009 blog provides full disclosure that I only receive review copies of books, with no other compensation. All review copies are marked as such. If there any any questions, please feel free to contact me.